Global Perspective: A combination of large-scale infrastructure investment and vehicle-sharing platforms are boosting urban mobility
11 Nov 2019
Across the globe the urban transportation sector is experiencing rapid expansion, driven by economic growth and a global demographic shift towards urbanisation. Politicians, urban planners and private sector actors are working together to find new solutions for reducing congestion and increasing the speed and efficiency of urban transport. As cities grow and urban economies develop many quality of life indicators can increase for residents. However, unless proactive steps are taken to plan and invest in well-executed transportation infrastructure, urban mobility can deteriorate.
Driving Growth
Urban mobility has become a critical quality of life issue worldwide, due to rising migration to urban centres and the emergence of mega-cities. In 2018, 4.2bn people lived in urban areas, or 55.3% of the world’s population, according to the UN. Despite its relatively lower level of urbanisation, at around 50%, Asia is home to 54% of the world’s urban population. Furthermore, nine of the world’s top-10 mega-cities are located in Asia, with the world’s three largest cities – Tokyo, Delhi and Shanghai – collectively housing over 92m people in 2018.
Meanwhile, two cities in Latin America, namely São Paulo and Mexico City, each house more than 20m residents. Mexico City’s population has increased from 13m in 1980 to over 21.6m in 2018. In Africa, Lagos is home to over 13.5m people, while its population nearly doubled between 2000 and 2018, and Cairo has just over 20m residents. In the coming decades these mega-cities, along with other large cities – such as Istanbul, Paris, Moscow, Bangkok and Tehran – will play a critical role in developing new urban mobility solutions.
Compact urban areas are also seeing significant growth. Austin in the US saw its population rise from around 675,000 in 2000 to nearly 1.9m in 2018. Smaller urban areas will also need to find new ways to address the evolving transport needs of their growing populations.
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